Dark Avengers #189

The new Dark Avengers title, written by Jeff Parker with pencils by Neil Edwards and inks by Terry Pallot, is, I'm sad to say, weak. It is unfortunate because I like Jeff Parker's writing; his run on Red Hulk was exceptional, as was his work on Thunderbolts with artists Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey. The storyline in the current Dark Avengers is a time-travel narrative set in a future where warring superheroes have divided New York City into various turfs. It is convoluted and feels exhausted. It is also unfortunate because the original Dark Avengers title, written by Brian Bendis with art by Mike Deodato, was the premiere Marvel comic book for the first year and a half of the Obama administration; it corresponds with the Dark Reign and Siege Marvel crossover events and Congressional Affordable Care Act battles and the rise of the Tea Party.

Below are five scans from Dark Avengers #189. The cover art is by Joe Quinones, a play on the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day. In Quinones' subversive cover, Toxic Doxie is the one doing the kissing, bending the sailor's back and cradling his head. The four interior pages by Neil Edwards showcase Skaar, Son of Hulk, pounding an alternate universe Mr. Fantastic into rubble: